Sea Turtles in Greece

As I hiked a trail with my newly made best friends in Zakynthos, Greece, I took a moment of silence to take in the breathtaking beauty of the Mediterranean Sea. We were in Gerakas Beach, one of the most untouched, natural places I have ever seen. I took a deep breath of the fresh salty air and pondered how lucky I was to be standing in such an amazingly natural place.

Later that day we met Yanni, the founder of Earth, Sea & Sky, a non-government organization part of the Ionian Nature Conservation. This organization was founded to research the effects of tourism in Greece as well as to monitor the nesting of the Loggerhead sea turtle and the Mediterranean monk seal. As a volunteer we researched and recorded the effects of tourism on the local environment, provided information on the local flora and fauna to visitors, rescued injured animals, and participated in beach and forest clean-ups. As a participant, we learned about the basic care and maintenance of aquatic, marine, and reptilian animals at the Wildlife Information Centre. One of our main and most interesting jobs was the monitoring the nesting and population of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle.

One night Yanni led our group on a night survey of several beaches on the island.  Little did we know one of the most disturbing sites we would ever see was in our near future was an area called Laganas Beach. If we didn’t understand how negatively tourism can impact our environment and such beautiful places we did now. With no regulation from the Greek government, restaurants and hotels were built only feet from the water line. Scantily clad club-goers drank and dined literally 3 feet away from the crashing waves. In that space lay hundreds of lawn chairs and umbrellas leaving zero room for turtles to lay eggs. The beaches were quickly eroding leaving minimal space for sea turtles to nest. Not only was this a sad fate for the Loggerhead sea turtles, but once a breathtaking view was now clouded with scrutiny. Out of all of these disturbing images, the one that affected us the most was recognizing the connection between Laganas and Charleston. On most given nights you can find intoxicated college students and tourists roaming the streets of Charleston hopping from bar to bar.  Many of these hotspots lay close to the bay and what used to be natural wonders.  All I could think about in Laganas as I saw partying tourists were flashbacks to nights out on the town with me and my friends. Did we really do as much damage as these tourists? What really sets us apart from these people? These questions ran through my mind as I struggled to find a balance between tourism and sustainability. How many times and how many places must we ruin to have a good time?

It quickly became apparent to our entire group that if mass tourism continues in this way, we will lose the natural beauty of our environment. Our entire group thought how we are just as big a part of the damage to the environment as the people visiting the island of Zakynthos. As a group, we began to brainstorm ways we can continue to visit different cultures without negatively impacting the environment. We left the island with a vow to look for alternative ways of travel and participate in sustainable tourism.